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One ring to rule them all: Libya's Haftar ‘uses black magic’ to hypnotise his soldiers
In an interview with Libya’s Free Channel, the dissident officer and former spokesman for Haftar’s forces, Mohammed al-Hijazi said the rogue general paid a magician “half a million” to make him a magic ring that is believed to host a servant jinn inside, which is why people clap, praise him and make a fuss in his presence.
Haftar brought “magicians from Chad and Niger” al-Hijazi said, noting he himself felt “chills” every time he entered the general’s headquarters.
He “uses magic to subdue, intimidate and drown out people around him,” he said.
“When I stood next to Haftar, I felt a strange bug that made me believe everything he said”, al-Hijazi claimed.
Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army has been waging an offensive against rival militias around Tripoli since April.
Nearly 1,100 people have been killed in Haftar's months-long campaign to wrest control of Tripoli from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.
While backing the government, Western powers earlier this year sent mixed signals, with US President Donald Trump praising Haftar in a phone call and France and Italy welcoming him on visits.
The UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are seen as key supporters of Haftar. In May, an investigation by Al-Jazeera Arabic TV revealed that cargo planes were found to be dropping off unidentified material at airbases controlled by general Haftar.
Reports earlier this week revealed the UAE was reportedly close to opening a military base in northern Niger close to the border with Libya, where Emirati-backed forces are fighting to take over the capital Tripoli.
New website Africa Intelligence reported this week that the oil-rich Gulf state is on the verge of opening the base in the Saharan country to further provide support for rogue Libyan general Khalifa Haftar.
Niger is already home to US, French and German military bases.
UAE has reportedly provided military support for Haftar in his current military offensive to take control of Tripoli in violation of a UN arms embargo on Libya.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that forces loyal to Libya's unity government had discovered French missiles at a base used by Haftar.
The newspaper claimed that markings on the missiles indicated they had been sold to the UAE in 2008.
The UAE has also attempted to build a military and naval base in Somaliland.
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